CHANGES ARE COMING to San Pablo’s Davis Park, and the city wants park users to be in on the planning.

The community will have an early chance to weigh in on what’s needed at a master plan workshop from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Davis Park Community Center, 1665 Folsom Ave.

City-contracted landscape and building architects, from Callendar Associates and Group 4 Architects, will explain possibilities and hear the community’s desires.

Changes are already in the works since the 12-acre park is set to grow by an acre when the city corporation yard is relocated some time in the next two years. That alone means “there will be more green space,” said Mike Heller, manager of San Pablo’s recreation division. “You won’t have all those trucks going back and forth.”

“Recreation is one of the main focuses of the City Council, and they want to make parks more livable for the community,” he added. “We’re excited about this, and we hope the community is too.”

While it’s the city’s largest recreation area, Davis Park could better serve the public’s needs, he said.

Changes could include upgrades to the community center and creating sports fields to better serve both youth baseball and soccer. “We also want to open up the park and have creek trails,” Heller said. “We want to make it more family-oriented.”

That could include enhancing the picnic areas at Davis to make them attractive as gathering places for “quincenearas” (a traditional Latino celebration held when a girl turns 15) and other family events. Work could also include opening covered sections of Wildcat Creek.

“It’s really the community’s park,” Heller said. “We want to get an idea of what they want to see when they go there.”

When the master plan is complete, possibly by the fall, it will be put before the City Council. Pending the council’s approval, work could begin early next year, said Heller, who added that the project will be done in phases to minimize disruptions to park users.

There is some bond money set aside for work, he said, but the final budget for the project is still to be determined.

According to the city, the workshop is one of several opportunities the public will have to share their ideas for Davis Park. Those who can’t attend public meetings are encouraged to submit written comments, which should be sent to the San Pablo Community Services Department, Recreation Division, 13831 San Pablo Ave., Bldg. 5, San Pablo, CA 94806.

LITERARY NOTES: Two young local writers are experiencing the thrill of having their work published.

The March issue of the children’s magazine Spider includes “Lion,” a poem by 8-year-old Kye Stapleton-Gray of Albany:

furry, rough, playful

roaring, running, fighting

crashing through the forest

jungle beast

The February issue of “Highlights for Children,” meanwhile, is where you can find a poem by 8-year-old Erik Becker of Hercules, a third-grader at Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito. His poem is titled “Trees”:

They wrestle

They play with the wind

And they whistle.

They molt in the winter,

And they give high fives!

They even play hide-and-go-seek!

Becker, who enjoys writing, drawing and basketball, is the son of Dean Becker and Carol Lahti.

Grown-up poets across the area are preparing to attend the 81st annual Poets’ Dinner, which is actually a lunch that starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Francesco’s Restaurant, 8520 Pardee Drive in Oakland. Luck is one of the contest categories, and speaker Cheryl Dumesnil will discuss “Luck: How it Applies to the Writing Process.” The main event, however, will be the announcement of winners in the Poets Dinner contest, always a major event in the local poetry community. One incentive for attending is that winners must be present to claim their prizes.

The contest has been encouraging the creation of poetry and bringing together poets since 1926.

Lunch tickets are $26 in advance or $27 at the door, if available. Tickets can be ordered by sending a check payable to Poets’ Dinner to Richard Angilly, 1515 Poplar Ave., Richmond, CA 94805. Be sure to indicate whether you want red snapper, chicken breast or eggplant parmigiana. For details, call 510-841-1217.

Have a community item or a tip? Call Chris Treadway at 510-262-2784, e-mail ctreadway@cctimes.com, or write to West County Times, 4301 Lakeside Drive, Richmond, CA 94806. Our fax is 510-262-2776.

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